Rail-bond



L. COOK. RAIL BOND (NO modem t dJune 9,1896

I ll.

PATENT Fries.

LEROY COOK, OF lVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAIL-BOND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561 ,698, dated June 9, 1896.

Application filed April 11, 1896.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, LEROY COOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vorcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rail- Bonds, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, in which- Figure l is a top view of a portion of rails united by my improved bond, a part of said rail being represented in horizontal sectional view on the plane of the bonds. Fig. 2 represents a portion of the waist of a rail with one of. my improved rail-bonds inserted, said bond being shown in central horizontal sectional view. Fig. 3 is an end view of one of in y improved rail-bonds previous to its insertion in a rail, showing the end of the conducting-wire in position. Fig. 4 is a central sectional view of the inner copper sleeve. Fig. 5 is a central sectional view of the outer steel sleeve, and Fig. 6 a portion of a rail in sectional view with one of my improved railbonds placed in proper position to be driven into the rail.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A A denote portions of two rails united by rail-bonds embodying my invention.

B denotes the electrical conducting-wire electrically connected at its ends with each of the rails A A by means of the rail-bonds G C.

The rail-bonds G O are duplicates of each other, and consist of an inner sleeve D, inclosin g the end B of the wire 13, and an outer sleeve E, inclosing the inner sleeve D. The inner sleeve D is preferably of copper or some soft and ductile metal which is a good conductor of electricity and is cylindrical on its outer surface with a concentric hole D to receive the end of the wire B, and is provided on one side with a slot D communicating with the central opening D. The outer sleeve E is preferably of steel or some relatively hard non-compressible metal, and is slotted on one side, as at E. The sleeve E fits the outer cylindrical surface of the inner sleeve D, and its outer surface E is cylindrical, except at one end, where it is slightly beveled for a short distance, as at E The $erial 1T0. 587,217. (No model.)

outer diameter of the steel sleeve E is somewhat larger than the diameter of a hole A in the rail A. The end B of the wire 13 is inserted in the hole D in the soft-metal sleeve D. The soft-metal sleeve is then inserted in the hard-metal sleeve and both are presented to a hole A in the rail with the tapered end of the outer sleeve inserted in the hole A Both sleeves are then driven into the rail with a sledge-hammeiginto the position represented in Figs. 1 and 2, with the central section of the bond held in the waist of the rail A and with the end of the bond projecting slightly from both sides of the rail. As the bond is driven into the rail the sleeve E is contracted in diameter, thereby compressing the soft-metal sleeve D and closing the slots D and E, said slots being preferably placed on diametrically opposite sides of the band. As the tapered end E of the bond emerges from the hole A the force of the blow struck upon the opposite end, together with the friction between the side of the hole and the outer surface of the sleeve E, will cause the end E to expand, bringing the sleeve straight on its outer surface, as at E and the bevel to be transferred to its inner surface, as at E and the inner end of the soft-metal sleeve D will also be expanded over the inner beveled snrface E makingthe diameter of the soft-metal sleeve greater at its inner end F than in its crosssection inclosed in the rail, as at G. The force of the blow also slightly upsets the driven end H, so the bond will be held from movement within the rail in either direction and preventing the bond from being jarred out of the rail.

The outer sleeve E prevents the abrasion of the outer surface of the soft-metal inner sleeve, and also allows the inner sleeve to be brazed to the end of the wire or to the end of atwisted cable of soft-copper wires. In such cases the sleeve D, attached to the end of the cable, is passed through the hole A The outer sleeve E is then applied, and both are driven into the rail.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

' 1. As an article of manufacture,arailbond consisting of an inner soft-metal split sleeve, having a central hole to receive the wire and an outer split hard-1netal sleeve having a cylindrical outer surface with a tapered or bevelcd end, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an electrical 'conducting-wire, of a sleeve inclosing the end of said Wire, said sleeve being cut apart on one side and consisting of a soft and ductile metal and an outer split sleeve inclosing said softmetal sleeve and having one end tapered or beveled, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a railway rail, provided with a hole to receive a Wire, of an electrical conducting-wire, a soft-metal sleeve inclosing the end of said Wire and out apart at one side, and a hard-metal split sleeve inclosing said soft-metal sleeve and held Within the hole in said rail, said outer sleeve being 

